Elasmodactylus tetensis
Elasmodactylus tetensis, commonly known as the Tete thick-toed gecko or Zambezi thick-toed gecko, is a species of gecko endemic to East Africa.[1][2]
| Elasmodactylus tetensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Gekkonidae |
| Genus: | Elasmodactylus |
| Species: | E. tetensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Elasmodactylus tetensis Loveridge, 1953 | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Description
E. tetensis, unlike any other species in the genus Elasmodactylus, is very large, and males have 8-14 preanal pores.[3]
Geographic range & habitat
E. tetensis is found in Mopane bushveld in the Zambezi river valley from Lake Kariba to Tete. There is a disjunct population in southern Tanzania.[1][2]
Behaviour
E. tetensis is a highly gregarious species and often roosts side by side with numerous other individuals during the day in rock cracks or hollow tree trunks like hollow baobab trees.[1]
They are nocturnal insectivores but may forage within a short distance of their roost during daylight. Once it is dark, they extend the territory they patrol in search of arthropods.
Reproduction
Sexually mature females lay two eggs at a time but can produce several clutches a season depending on food supply.
Subspecies
There is an isolated population in southern Tanzania in similar habitat that is very likely a subspecies or another species forming a complex with tetensis.
References
- Menegon, M. & Spawls, S. (2010). "Elasmodactylus tetensis". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2010: e.T178629A7584355. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T178629A7584355.en. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- Elasmodactylus tetensis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 27 October 2014.
- Branch, 2004.
Further reading
- Branch, Bill. 2004. Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Pachydactylus tetensis, p. 261).
- Loveridge A. 1953. "Zoological Results of a Fifth Expedition to East Africa. III. Reptiles from Nyasaland and Tete". Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard 110 (3): 142–322. (Pachydactylus tetensis, new species, pp. 175–176 + Plate 5, figure 3).
- Spawls, Stephen; Howell, Kim; Drewes, Robert C. 2006. Reptiles and Amphibians of East Africa. Princeton Pocket Guides. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. 240 pp. ISBN 978-0691128849.